Picture Perfect
by SwissloveandRussianhugs18
Summary: He likes taking pictures. He always has, they couldnt understand that though, and they looked at them. They didnt understand them,so the pictures became ruined.Why couldn't they have just left him alone? No matter how much he wants to be with them,he cant. They'd never understand him no matter how much he understands them. He's alone, he's always been. The pictures are his friends
1. Chapter 1

Picture Perfect.

Chapter one: Take one, say sorrow!

Hello my fans! *before you yell at me for not updating "Frozen in Place", I am writing the chapter! I HAVE SCHOOL AND TESTS YOU KNOW!* so, this is my new story, Picture Perfect! I hope you enjoy it!

Care to do the disclaimer, Japan?

Japan: Hai! *clears throat* SwissloveandRussianhugs18 does not own Hetalia! If she did, I'd probably be kissing China right now.

Haha, what can I say? DAT NICHU THO.

Anyways, I have noticed that there is a lack of good Iceland stories out there *I'm a douche for saying that…* but here is my attempt! Please enjoy!

Picture perfect

Click, click, click!

The bright white flash, it does flick!

On the screen are our faces

One and two, three and four!

….Five doesn't really fit into the equation.

Emil sighed as he stared at yet another group photo. Blonde, blonde, blonde, blonde, silver. Did his hair always look so different compared to the others?

Matthias was being tie strangled by Lukas, and Tino was clinging to Berwald. Emil….he couldn't help but notice he had distance between the other four members of their group. He was the odd ball, he had no partner. Just where did he fit into this picture….?

Matthias gave a warm laugh "Dude! You took the perfect picture!" he said with a grin "You took it before I turned purple from lack of oxygen!" he said with a wide grin

Lukas hummed as he looked the picture over with interest, seemingly approving it with a nod "I like it."

Tino and Berwald took the photo "Ah! It is perfect!" Tino chimed happily as he grinned. Berwald gave a small hum and nodded slightly.

Emil forced a nod "Thank you, I like how it turned out as well." He muttered, hiding his hate for the new photo as he passed it back to Lukas for him to frame.

Another Christmas, another photo of him being….a stranger.

He looked more like he had accidently walked in on the photo when it was taken than he was actually in it.

This just wasn't fair.

The sentence repeated over and over in his mind as he bottled up his emotions

Everyone had a partner! So why couldn't he? Why was he always left out?!

Lukas interrupted his thoughts with a hum "Ah, present time." He muttered as he passed around the gifts he got for everyone.

Then Tino passed out his, Sweden gave his, and then Matthias and Emil.

Let's see here,

Matthias got a new coat from Tino, a blade sharpener for his axe from Berwald, a clip on tie from Norway *to prevent any tie strangles*, and even a new pair of boots and carving knives and paints to decorate his axe's handle with from Emil.

Tino had received a porcelain poodle from Matthias, a cooking book from Lukas, a teddy bear from Berwald, and a make your own salmiakki kit from Emil.

Berwald got wood shop tools from the all, though Emil had made sure to give him the best carving knife set of that years models and even some new paints and drawing pencils.

Lukas got a tie from Matthias *to strangle the Dane with*, a pocket watch from Tino, a pair of new boots from Berwald, and Emil….Emil had given a homemade item. He had stitched together the Icelandic and Norwegian flag, as a sign to show they were siblings. Lukas gave a twitch of the lips, a near smile.

Emil went to open his.

….what a coincidence.

Ribbons of different color…apparently to decorate his dearly beloved stuffed puffin with.

Of course, he got this every year. Though…just for the sake of pretending to be part of the group, he would act like he loved the gifts and gladly switch the colors of his Puffin's ribbon every day.

But inside he resented the brightly colored ribbons of silk. He put so much thought into their gifts and…and he only got ribbon.

Each. Year.

It hurt, it hurt a bit. It was a sign that they didn't truly understand him the way he hoped they would. He didn't like ribbons. He…he liked photography. All kinds. Still life, life in motion, negative colors, barren landscapes, lively festivals, stormy knights.

Was it too much to ask for a camera for Christmas…?

Well, at least he still had his old one.

God he loved that camera.

He took his first photo with it, his first film, his first…so many memories with that camera.

Heh, that camera understood him better than they did.

But he wouldn't say anything. No, not a thing.

He didn't want to ruin their fun time just because he was feeling…out casted.

He gave a sigh and easily crept up the stairs and to his room when they all began to chatt again. He flopped down on his bed and looked at the handful of ribbons he had.

Soft blue, vibrant red, pastel purple, and calming silver…..

He got up and went to his window, grabbing some tape from his desk as he went. He opened the window and carefully leaned out just enough to tape the ribbons to the outside of the window.

He grabbed his camera from his desk and turned it on, aiming at the window.

It was perfect. The way the gentle December breeze blew the ribbons around and made them dance, the radiant full moon in the background shining down and giving it a mystical feel. The dark blue sky riddle with beautiful points of shining light from millions of miles away and the swaying tree just a few feet from his window melting into the background perfectly.

The wind from outside filled his room and he took a deep breath, liking the feel of the cool winter wind reviving his body as it circulated within him and he slowly breathed it out. He looked through the camera and gave a small, nearly invisible grin.

This felt like ad ream. It was all so fitting for one! The mystic shine around the ribbons as they danced around in the wind in a slow dance, one that could put you into a trance from it's beauty. The soft rustles of whatever leaves remained on the tree as it swayed gently in the wind. Oh, how the stars shined with mystery! Seemingly taunting you with their knowledge, but at the same time shining with an understanding Emil had yet to see in a person's eyes.

_Click._

He looked at the photo he had just taken and felt his breathing stop.

It was perfect-no. Better than perfect!

He eagerly waited for the photo to come out, yes he had that kind of camera, and nearly grinned in joy as it fell onto the floor.

He bent down and picked it up, heading to his closet and picking out a Nine West shoe box. He opened the lid and revealed hundreds of other photos, each one breath taking. One was a scene of a grey, thundery sky. It wasn't intimidating, no. Not the way he took it. He made it seem inspiring and he felt a surge of pride flow through him as he saw the picture.

Another was of his room. The moonlight had leaked in on that warm summer night and illuminated it just perfectly! It gave off a sense of mystery and grace, feelings that the boy loved to have in his photos.

He put his newest photo away after a few minutes of looking at older ones. He gently closed the lid and hid the shoe box away carefully and in a place no one but him would find it.

No one could ever find these photos. They wouldn't understand. They _couldn't _understand.

These photos were perfect! He had made sure each one was nothing short of perfection!

That was his word, perfection. He would fuss over every photograph, and if he had messed up on the first try…. Then he would not take a picture of the scene again.

Photo's are special, no two can ever be the same! If you ruin it the first time, you cannot try again! Each one had to be unique! They had to all stand out!

He sighed, yes….they all had to be perfect

"They have to be perfect….to make up for all of my imperfections."


	2. Chapter Two: Alley-Ways

Picture Perfect

Chapter Two: Alley-Ways.

WOOT! Two chapters in a row! I'd like to thank all of you out there who are reading this. And please, do not forget to review! Review's keep my inspiration going :) Now, Poland if you will~

Poland: Like, she totally doesn't like, own Hetalia! If she did, then I would like, totally not talk like this!

Moving on now, here is chapter 2 my friends. Enjoy.

Emil yawned as he woke up, wincing as the sunlight coming from his window hit his face as he sat up.

He heard the noises of breakfast coming from downstairs and assumed Tino and Berwald were making breakfast. That meant Lukas and Matthias where either arguing or Matthias was being tie strangled again.

Great, alone again….

Even if he wasn't a morning person, a little "Hey, get up sunshine!" would've been appreciated…

He shrugged it off and grabbed a clean set of clothes and headed to the shower to wipe away the smell of egg nog that still clung to him from last night. Yuck.

He stretched as he entered the bathroom and closed the door and it clicked as he locked it. Hopefully Matthias hadn't used up the hot water again…..

Of course, Matthias had indeed used up the hot water. AGAIN.

Emil gave a silent curse under his breath as he dried off his hair and put on his usual outfit of a grey lopapyesa* and white jeans with light grey sneakers. He quietly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen

"Ah, good morning!"

He turned to view Tino, who was smiling at the boy as Berwald helped him make pancakes and eggs.

Emil gave a small nod in return and took his seat at the table next to Lukas. Lukas turned and was about to say something before Matthias interrupted

"Yo Emil! Where'd ya go last night?"

He asked with a curious head tilt, his hair still defying gravity as usual.

Emil gave him a cold stare "To my room. Fell asleep." He said as Tino handed him a plate with two pancakes and some maple syrup.

Matthias pouted "Really bro? We needed you for Cards Against Humanity!"

Liar. That game only needs four players. Four.

He shrugged "Sorry, I didn't want to be downstairs. I like being alone."

More like I don't really have a choice otherwise.

Matthias pouted "You're no fun E-ACK! L-LUKAS! I CAN'T B-BREATHE!"

He was interrupted as, once again, he was being tie strangled by the taciturn blonde

Lukas seemed to be ignoring the fact that Matthias' face was turning purple as he spoke "We know, brother." He said with a small nod before he decided to let the Dane breathe again.

Tino was worrying over Matthias, trying to help him recover from near suffocation while Berwald held his usual stoic face as he stood by his 'wife', as he had labeled Tino.

Emil sighed and pushed away his half-eaten breakfast, taking a sip from his orange juice before getting up "I'm going out." He said before exiting the room with a response.

After a quick trip to his room to retrieve his camera, he headed out and began to look for any scenes he could take a picture of.

As he walked down the streets and sidewalks of the little town, he thought.

What am I looking for this time?

The sky? Still life? Laughter? ….Hope?

He stopped as he heard music nearby.

That's it, life!

He turned around and bolted down the street, following the sound of music that eagerly pulled him towards the scene of the marvelous melody.

He stopped in front of an alley-way and nearly grinned at what he saw.

A young dark haired teen was singing to a song to a small crowd of friends and strangers as a song played over the portable stereo.

He stood on a piece of cardboard, microphone in hand and an outfit you would perhaps see on Eminem.

The dark dingy look of the trash littered alley-way contrasted against the life written on the faces of the people and the vivid emotion on the singing teens face. The people were giving off a bright aura, they were just lively!

It was all a contradiction.

A perfect contradiction.

He got his camera ready and waited for the sound, refraining from tapping his foot to the beat of the music for fear of taking a blurry or shaky photo.

"Everybody says, everybody says!

I don't wanna be like anybody else!

Everybody says, everybody says!

I don't wanna be like anybody else!

Everybody says, everybody says!

I don't wanna be like-be like!"

The emotion exploded as a drum rang in the song and he snapped a picture. As the photo came out, he held it nervously and then took it in.

Again, perfection.

The scene was so lively, yet held a calm tone of sorts thanks to the surroundings. The people where cheering and had on smiles. Some were clapping, others jumping. The singer had a look of concentration on his face and a spark of a rebellious spirit in his stormy grey eyes as he sang the lyrics into the microphone.

It looked like he had captured the moment of a soon-to-be pop singer.

He held the photo carefully as to not bend or wrinkle it and ran back to his home, bursting in without explanation and running to his room.

He shut the door, though it might have been a slam, and locked it before dashing to his closet and quickly grabbing the shoe box full of his other photos.

He placed it in with care and let a grin spread on his face for a bit as he stared at the scene in pride and joy. Just looking at it filled him with that lively feeling!

He closed the box and then held it to his chest, a full blown grin on his face as he thought of all the photos in here and all the emotion in them. The years he had spent filling several shoe boxes up with these priceless scenes of emotion! Yes, he had five other boxes full of these wondrous photos!

But never, NEVER, would they ever be shown to anybody else.

They just wouldn't understand, and just by that action the picture would be ruined.

So they would stay in there, he'd take them out every few days and look through the pictures for a few hours.

He liked how each one was different; none of them matched or fit another. None of them looked like they would belong with one another in a million years! Each one was like a kind of outcast.

Like him.

It was a comfort he supposed, and one he'd keep for sure.

Suddenly the door opened and Lukas was in the doorway.

Emil jumped at the sudden intrusion and jumped up, quickly hiding the shoe box again before turning to his brother with an irritated expression "What?!"

Lukas quirked an eyebrow in question before shrugging it off "Tino made lunch. Come eat." With that, he departed.

Emil waited until he heard footsteps going down the stairs and shut his closet door with trembling hands.

He had almost seen, he had to keep the boxes safer now!

He knew Lukas would be at least a bit suspicious at the sudden reaction, who wouldn't be?

He silently walked out of his room, closing the door behind him and then silently creeping down the stairs

Just play it cool, it'll be alright. They can never tell when you're lying anyways. They never can.

At this point, he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad one. He just knew it would be needed in this situation.

As he entered the kitchen, all hell broke less. At least it did in his mind.

"What was in the box?"

The question was short and straight to the point. To attempt to ease out the answer, just a blunt sentence that was enough to make the Icelander grow cold

He gave a look of slight confusion "What do you mean was in it? It was a shoe box, so shoes of course." Emil responded coolly as he sat down next to Lukas.

He felt the others staring at them curiously, even Matthias was being silent.

Lukas hummed "You seemed in a hurry to put it away. Why would you want to hide shoes?" he asked curiously, a suspicious tone in his voice.

Emil sighed, hiding his smirk as he got an idea "It's a secret collection I've been keeping." He said as he took a sip of his Coca-Cola

Lukas looked a little interested about finding something new about his brother "Ah, what is it of?"

"Yeah, tell us Emil!" Matthias chimed with a grin.

Tino smiled "It sounds interesting! Would you mind telling us? Please?" he asked, curiosity shining bright in his eyes.

Even Berwald had given a look of interest at the youngest member of their group.

Emil shrugged "It's just a collection of crayons." He lied.

Matthias looked confused "Crayons? The hell would you collect those?"

Emil shrugged "I like colors. They're nice." He explained as he ate the vegetable soup that had been made with a calm aura

Tino chuckled "Crayons? That's pretty cool!" he said as he began to eat his own bowl of soup "I never knew you liked colors so much!"

Lukas stared at him for a bit before finally accepting the answer "I see." He muttered with a small nod as he directed his attention to glaring at Matthias for the Dane's terrible table manners.

Emil relaxed, that went better than expected. By quite a bit.

The rest of the meal was eaten in the usual manner, Tino being the main conversation starter and Matthias being his usual boisterous self.

After lunch, Emil went back to his room after he thought of something.

Hadn't he locked his door when he came home?

He looked at the doorknob and sighed, it had only been half turned. So that's why Lukas had been able to open it.

With nothing else to do, he took out his phone and plugged in his earphones as he pulled out a box, this time it was black instead of white. It was his special box, full of all the photos that made you feel like crying.

He opened it as he turned on his music.

He pulled out the picture at the very top, his favorite one.

He had taken Lukas' digital camera to take this one, since his camera didn't have the setting he needed.

He had set it up on a tri-pod and positioned it a few feet away from where the scene was.

He set it on a timer and got into position, sitting on the wooden park bench and facing the other way as it was taken.

He jogged over to the camera and he remembered he had shed a tear at the scene.

He was sitting alone on the park bench as the rain poured down heavily, the grey of the sky adding to the loneliness of the scene. A light mist from the rain drops was on the cold grey path in front of the bench, empty as well as puddles had already formed on it. One of them held Emil's reflection and also the storm cloud in the sky. What he loved about this picture…is what made it perfect…

A ray of pure golden sunlight was peeking through the clouds and lighting up the spot next to him, as if he was waiting for someone...

It filled you with a sense of sadness and pity, but the way he had been sitting let you be able to read his thoughts

"I don't need your pity, I like being alone."

But the way he was facing the spot made you think otherwise.

The way his sweater was soaking from the rain and his hair was sticking to his head and was a bit matted here and there; it made him look so sad.

But that hopeful gaze….he couldn't describe it.

It was a perfect reflection of him.

Just perfect.

The next one was a group photo of Christmas a few years ago.

Tino was dressed as Santa and smiling happily, a light blush adorning his face and a childish spark of joy in his eyes as he stood next to Berwald, who he had convinced to wear an elf hat that day.

Lukas was busy shoving Matthias away as the Dane had attempted to surprise hug him during the photo.

Emil was half in the shot; he had been walking away when it was taken.

He found it was too painful to be the odd one out in the photo again and decided to just sneak out of it.

He didn't make it out all the way, but for some reason….he felt compelled to keep the photo.

He gave a small frown as part of the song came on, it was strangely fitting

"I want you to notice when I'm not around.

You're so very special, I wish I was special.

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo!

What the hell am I doing here….?"

He stopped singing and sighed as he put the photo back and closed the box, hiding it once again in the closet and shutting the door.

He leaned his back against the door and slowly slid down, eventually finding himself sitting on the floor.

A few crystal tears fell from his violet eyes as he stared down at the floor with a mix of pain and sorrow in his eyes, though there was also a strange hollowness in them as well as he sang the last line of the verse

"I don't belong here…."

If he had taken a picture of this scene….

It would have been the most perfect one yet…..

*Lopapyesa: It's an Icelandic style sweater. They are quite beautiful!

Please review and as always,

Keep reading! Also, thank you for all the wonderful views.

Hockey Pucks and Christmas Hugs,

-SwissloveandRussianhugs18

P.S. Who can guess the two songs in here and who were they written by?


	3. Chapter Three: The Painting

Picture Perfect

Chapter 3: Empty Hallways

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! _

Emil groaned as he rolled over in his bed and reached out, pressing the off button on the alarm clock.

He looked up at it and sighed.

7:45

Time for school.

He got out of his bed and stretched his limbs, letting a sigh of relief at the satisfying pop in his back and shoulders.

Emil yawned as he opened his closet and pulled his school uniform out. Brown jacket and pants, white button up shirt and white neck tie.

The only thing he wore against dress code where his boots. He wasn't going to wear the dark brown loafers everyone else did, he hated them.

He quickly slipped on his boots and tied them up, making a neat little knot at the top of the boots.

Emil silently stepped into the hallway and creeped down the stairs, avoiding the creaky steps that would wake the others up if he stepped on them.

Luckily, he made it down without any creaks and grabbed his messenger bag full of his textbooks and notebooks, god it was heavier than he last remembered!

He had remembered to grab his camera case and gladly put the strap over his shoulder before grabbing some toast from the kitchen and a quick drink of orange juice before quietly slipping away outside and began the ten minute walk to school.

He liked walking to school, more opportunities for pictures this way you know? Ah, what lovely ones he would take this time of morning!

He looked around carefully in search of anything that caught his interest.

Sadly, nothing did that morning and he sighed as he made it to the school and headed to his first class, taking care to take the less crowded long way there.

He mainly took this way to stall for time; I mean who would be excited to go to calculus? It was a boring and confusing subject!

He sighed as the classroom door came into view and he hesitantly entered and quickly took his seat in the back of the class.

Then came an hour of him staring vacantly out the window and the teacher yelling at him to pay attention to the lesson.

'Quit snickering!'

He thought as he looked at the other students

'It's not like she hasn't yelled at you before for doing the exact same thing!'

After that boring period, came one of his favorite classes. Art! He couldn't take pictures, but at least he could draw and paint. Good enough.

He didn't really use pencils, crayons, or markers. He liked water color.

He started on a painting he had in his mind earlier in Calculus, getting his hues of blue, yellow, grey, and brown ready.

He began to work and soon the world around him became a blur as he entered his own realm.

He painted a grey cobblestone road, with lampposts and dull yellow lights on the side. Looming buildings that seemed to be crying themselves as the rain fell. The sky was grey, great clouds floated in it and gave a downfall of never ending celestial tears.

In the middle of that street, a boy was standing in a puddle. His face could not be seen as his soaked grey hair hung in it and cast a shadow over it. His dull blue jacket became heavy with thousands of tears from above, his jeans stained with mud from past falls and his shoes a little worn at the tips from tripping over his own feet. He carried an umbrella by his side, a black one. It wasn't opened; it wasn't stopping the tears from hitting him and chilling him with their sorrow and grief.

He simply stood there, crying crystalline tears himself as he stood alone in the rain.

Emil did that sometimes. Just stand in the rain and think. It was calming, though to any other person it might have been a weird thing to do.

He froze as a hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to the person.

He met with the honey colored eyes of his art teacher. He was shocked they were open, even more shocked to see it was a sad smile

"Emil, the bell rang."

"Oh, thanks for telling me Mr. Vargas."

Emil stood up and got his book bag and camera, pushing in his chair.

As he turned to leave, Mr. Vargas caught his arm. He turned swiftly and saw his painting being held out carefully to him

"Don't forget this." The now softly speaking Italian said with a sad smile.

Emil gave a nod and carefully took the painting, careful not to smudge the paint

"Oh….Thank you…" he mumbled as he gave a nod and strode out of the room.

Emil looked down at the painting in his hands and silently, he imagined the boy as himself, just for one second…..

The last bell of the day rang and Emil stood up, glad to finally be out of biology for the day. He grabbed his camera and book bag then he waited by the door.

After a minute or two, the hallways quieted and became empty.

He strode out of the room and looked down at the hallway.

Abandoned books and papers lay on the ground, a few calculators here and there along with a phone or two.

He felt bad; the objects had been forgotten about just like him….

He silently walked down the hallway and took out two of his textbooks, biology and Calculus.

He then looked at the painting he had stored in his book bag after it had dried.

He carefully took it out and propped it against his textbooks, then took out his camera and went back a few feet.

He brought the camera up and aimed.

What he saw was a deserted hallway, a lonely painting in the middle of it amongst the other forgotten items. The dim lighting as the school began to shut down reminded him to hurry, but it made great effect as well.

He snapped the photo.

_Click._

He caught the photo as it came out and carefully put it away safely in a note book to keep it from bending, then recollected his textbooks and put his camera away before heading out of the school

The walk home was rather uneventful, nothing caught his interest. He had taken photos of almost everything over the years.

Emil sighed as he opened the door and walked in, being careful as he closed it behind him.

"Hey! Welcome back home!" Tino called as he peeked out from the living room with his usual smile.

Emil gave a nod and set his book bag down, staring at it before taking out his painting.

Tino tilted his head "What's that?" he asked curiously as he walked over.

Emil quickly hid it behind his back, not wanting to show it "Nothing." He murmured as he ran past the other man, making a dash for the stairs

An arm launched out and caught his arm, pulling him back.

Emil looked up at his captor and gulped

"L't T'no see it."

The deep voice said as Berwald stared down at him.

Tino walked over "Please?" he asked with a soft and kind voice.

Emil held the painting to his chest, making sure the blank side faced them and shook his head "No! I don't want to!" he said as his grip on it tightened.

Berwald's face grew a shadow "Em'l, l't 'im see it." He said once more, tone sharper than the last time.

Emil shook his head faster "No! Leave me alone!"

"What's going on here?"

Matthias asked as he strolled in with a quirked eyebrow "What's all the yelling for?"

"He won't let us see the painting for some reason." Tino responded as Emil kept a wary glance on all of them.

Matthias chuckled "Is that it? Emil, just let them see bro!" he said as he sipped the bottle of beer in his hand.

Emil grit his teeth and closed his eyes "I said no! No! No! **NO!**" He hadn't meant to scream the last word and his eyes widened as he saw all their shocked faces.

"Emil."

The voice came from the kitchen and everyone turned to see Lukas standing at the entrance way, arms crossed and a serious expression

"Stop being childish and just let them see it." He commanded as he walked over, asserting his brotherly power.

Emil growled and wrenched his arm free of Berwald's grasp and roughly shoved the painting into Lukas' arms "FINE! TAKE IT!" he stated before grabbing his camera and book bag and stomping up the stairs.

He slammed his bedroom door shut and locked it before throwing his book bag on his bed and took out his camera, carefully putting it on his desk before he sat in a corner of his room and put his head in his hands, silent sobs shaking him.

The painting…it was ruined now! They wouldn't understand it if they tried, the painting was losing its meaning!

It was just a blob of colors as far as Emil was concerned. He'd get rid of it once he got it back.

He had worked so hard on it to…

They all stood in stunned silence as they looked at the watercolor painting.

Tino looked as if he was already crying and Matthias had turned serious for once as the emotions put into every stroke of the paint brush hit him.

Even Berwald seemed to grow a look of sadness in his eyes.

Tino wiped his eyes on his sleeve "I didn't know….when did he learn…?"

Lukas gave a shrug as he stared "I don't know I never knew he even liked painting." he muttered quietly before looking at the stairs "Let's talk to him…I need to know why he wouldn't let us see it…"

The others nodded and went up the stairs quietly, Matthias picked the lock of the door open and Lukas opened it

"Emil…?"

"What."

Emil looked up from the corner, a glare aimed at them and the painting.

Tino walked over and grinned as he took a seat next to the teen "It's beautiful…" he said softly

Emil stopped glaring and his face went blank and unreadable. That wasn't the answer he wanted. If they truly understood, they wouldn't be complimenting him. They'd say they were sorry.

Matthias gave a worried look "Emil bro…you ok…?" he asked softly.

Emil silently stood up and walked over to Lukas, quietly and carefully taking the painting.

The others watched in a worried manner as he put it on his desk and took out a brush and a jar of black paint.

Emil silently dipped the brush in the paint and stared at the painting

"…..It's ruined." He muttered before he began to furiously swipe the brush over it, covering the image with uncoordinated black stripes and messing up the beautiful water colors.

Matthias gasped and quickly tried to hold his arm back "Dude! What are you doing?!" he asked in shock as Emil fought against his grip

"IT'S BEEN RUINED! I CAN'T KEEP IT ANYMORE!" the teen shouted angrily and with a tone of grief in his voice as he escaped the hold and began to cover the painting with black paint.

Berwald made an attempt to grab him, but Emil was quicker and had grabbed the ruined painting and run out of the room

"EMIL!" Tino called as he and Lukas bolted after him.

Emil ignored them as he all but jumped down the stairs and ran to the garage, slamming the door behind him.

HE quickly grabbed one of Berwald's power tools that were occasionally used for carving and turned it on. The saw sprung to life and Emil swiped at the painting, cutting it in half. He kept up his rampage until the painting was diced into odd shapes and no longer whole.

He stopped and set the tool down, glancing up at the others who watched him from the doorway.

He looked away from them and collected the pieces of the painting, throwing them away in a trash can before he silently pushed his way through them. He stopped as he sensed Matthias and Lukas ready to bombard him with questions

"It was ruined….it lost its meaning." He said in a soft, oddly calm voice before he continued walking. He went back up the stairs and locked himself in his room once more.

The others stood in shocked silence; only the sound of Tino's occasional whimper was heard

"What's up with him…?" Matthias muttered softly

Lukas looked the most stunned out of all of them "I…I don't know but…I'll find out." He said, he had a suspicions this had something to do about the box he had seen Emil with that one day.

Berwald gave an uneasy glance at Lukas before nodding, trusting the others judgment. Lukas was Emil's brother after all, he knew him better than anyone.

Well, that's what they thought anyways…..


	4. Chapter 4: The Days Memory Forgot

Picture Perfect

Chapter 4: The Days Memory Forgot

* * *

"_Look! Look!"_

_An excited boy with messy silver hair from hours of play in the park ran up to his older siblings, a few rocks in his hand that he had tripped over not even a minute earlier. _

_The group turned to him with curious expressions "What is brother?" the one with a taciturn expression asked, indigo eyes gaining a hint of curiosity "What did you find?" _

_The boy skidded to a halt, nearly falling before the tallest of the group easily caught him and helped him gain his balance once more. _

_The little boy smiled and held the rocks out "I fell over these, but I don't mind since it helped me find them! Aren't they pretty?" _

_The one with gravity defying hair quirked an eyebrow "Bro, those are just ro-oof!" a quick elbow to the ribcage from the taciturn boy next to him and he was silenced, save of a small hiss of pain as he rubbed the now sore and already bruising area. _

_Another boy, the second youngest of the group gave a confused look "What do you see there?" he asked as he pointed curiously._

"_What do you mean what do I see?" _

_It was the little boys turn to be confused, not quite understanding how the others missed what he observed. _

"_Well….all we see is rocks. Perhaps you could elaborate a bit?" _

_The one who had elbowed the boy earlier spoke up as he ignored the still pained Dane next to him, like it was a common occurrence. _

_The little boy looked at the rocks held in has tiny hands, how could he explain this sight? Couldn't they see how the stones sparkled in the sun due to the minerals in them? How that if you looked closely enough you could see a teeny tiny rainbow surrounding that sparkle? Didn't they observe the patterns of the rocks, how they seemed so random and quick but had actually formed over millions and millions of years. All the time that had been put into each little rock by mother Earth, and the result was breath taking. _

_How…._

_Just how would he ever be able to describe such beauty? _

_Maybe if he gave them a hint…._

_He smiled "Shiny!" he said as he held the rocks closer to the others "See?"_

"_Dude, I don't see anything shiny 'cept for the gum wrapper next to your foot…"_

_Well, the pained boy seemed to have gotten over his minor bruise and was now giving a bored expression to the other as he tapped a coin against the metal park bench he sat on in a steady rhythm, it sounded like the drum beat in "Back in Black" by ACDC. _

_Emil smiled as he heard the sound and looked down at the rocks, smile growing ever wider as the sound of a rock and roll drum beat seemed to fit the personality of the white rock with dots of black strewn on it. If he looked closely at the dots, he could make images. Right now he saw a man with a beard. Fitting for the song, right? _

_With each pang of the coin against the park bench, the shine grew ever brighter and more….arrogant in a sense, as if the rock was proclaiming just how amazing it was, how it was unique compared to any other rock. _

_But he couldn't help but feel sad for the little rock next to it. So small in size, only a solid color of dingy brown. It seemed to pale in comparison to the other rock but….he couldn't help but like this little rock better._

_Sure, it was plain, but it held an aura of its own. He was drawn to it like a magnet, like the moon to the Earth, and like the universe to the life it held within it. _

_It's as if in that moment, he had suddenly clicked with the little sad rock and made it his own. Like it was no longer a rock, but a piece of him. _

'_I know how you feel, Rocky.' _

_The child thought as the other rock slowly slipped from his hand _

'_That means you're my rock now, you can stay with me. You'll never be lonely here!' _

_He smiled down at the little rock in his pale little hands. _

"_Yo…Yo! Bro! Come on, Lukas said it's time to go home like, five minutes ago!" _

_The boy snapped out of his stupor and looked up "Ah! Coming Dan!" he said, using the other boys nick name as he surged forward. _

_He stopped short and turned back, picking up the rock he had dropped earlier _

"_No friend left behind!"_

"_Emil!"_

"_Right!" _

_And with that, the group of brothers left the park after an afternoon of ice cream, elbowing Dan in the rib cage, playing around, and at one point having to pull Matthias out of the baby swing when he got stuck in it after making a dare with Tino._

* * *

He sighed as he woke up from the dream, that was such a nice memory. The day when his mind began to realize just how different he was.

Emil silently stood up from his bed, unwrapping himself from the soft and warm navy colored covers as he placed his white sock covered feet onto the dark blue carpeting of his room.

He stood up and in a sort of half-daze, walked over the desk next to his closet. He silently opened the pencil drawer on the left side of the white desk, reaching to the back of it and grabbing the hard objects there.

He slowly pulled his hand out and opened it, smiling softly.

Two rocks sat there, one white with black spots and sparkling brightly, and the other small and a dingy brown and not giving a visible shine.

His violet eyes gave a small spark of humor as he thought back to the day he had found them. They were so big in his little hands back then, he almost needed two hands to hold both, but now they easily fit into the palm of his right hand.

It was a little comforting.

He had grown out of the child he was when he found them, but they hadn't changed one bit. They never left and he could always count on them to be in their usual place whenever he wanted to see them.

They weren't just rocks to him, they were guides.

The very guides that had shown him who he was, even if he didn't like who he was.

He appreciated it though, people couldn't guide you like that. No, they just left you in the middle of the journey. Or they just never came with you at all….

He closed his fingers around the rocks, feeling the rough yet comforting texture of the little objects he had gotten so attached to.

He sighed softly.

Of all the things, he got attached to two rocks.

Couldn't it have been a book, or you know, a dog like any other normal kid.

Even a CAT.

And we all know how evil cats could be.

He put the two little rocks back into the special place in the pencil drawer, slowly closing it and walking back to his bed and silently slipping underneath the covers again and closing his eyes

"Someday, I would wish to be understood by a person. It seems my imagination is leading me to the deep end…I fear for my sanity."

With that, he let the cool moonlight drifting in from the window wrap him up in it's relaxing grip, letting it's soft lullaby of wind and rustling leaves lull him into a peaceful sleep the likes of which he had not known in days.

* * *

He groaned as the fierce and blinding light of the suns rays beat down on his eyelids, waking him from his slumber.

In a last attempt to preserve the coolness of night which had lulled him to sleep hours ago, he pulled the blankets over his head.

...

Too late, the coolness had left when the sun decided to give him such a rude awakening. There just weren't enough hours of the night for his liking.

He would have much preferred a rainy day, the soft melody of the raindrops and deep baritone of the thunder keeping him asleep in peace.

He threw the covers off of his form and got out of bed with a sour grumble, pulling on a white Lopapeysa and a pair of dark colored jeans and his favorite boots.

Now, time to face the music. The horrible, screeching, high noted music he faced every morning called an energetic breakfast to kick off the day.

How he wished for sleep again, but the sun wouldn't allow that. Stupid rotation of the Earth…..

He heard hushed voices drifting up the stair well, causing him to give a curious glance towards it.

Slowly with both natural and practiced stealth, he slunk his way down the pristine white carpeted stairs, avoiding all the creaky steps and eventually touching the linoleum floors of the entrance hall. He looked in front of him and quietly slunk forward, the floor transitioning to the cream colored carpet of the living space full of books, three white couches, a coffee table, and a decently sized HD T.V.

Slowly, ever so carefully, he edged along the wall towards the entrance of the kitchen on the left side of the room.

"Dude, did you see though? He had panic in his eyes! Like…like a deer caught in headlights thing!"

"What are we going to do? We can't just pretend nothing happened here!"

"I know, but we must act normal. He'll be suspicious if we suddenly ask questions two days after the incident. We're just lucky today is a Saturday and we can use this to help ease the tension."

"Ja, I agree with L'kas."

"….Fine you two, you win."

"Alright bro, but if this plan backfires, I get bragging rights to say I predicted this would-"

"Yes yes Matthias, we all know just how exactly on spot your gut instincts are. Like that time you woke us all up at three in the morning on a Sunday because you heard a 'murderer' in the house when it was just Hanatamago poking around in the kitchen and licking up some spilled applesauce off the floor."

"Hey! I thought you said you would never bring that up again Lukas! And I'm sorry for leaving the applesauce on the kitchen counter! I didn't know the dog could jump up there!"

"One, I never said I wouldn't bring it up again, and two, quiet. I thought I heard someone walking."

Emil froze on the spot. His breath caught in his throat and for a moment, it was as though time had ceased. Panic flashed painfully in his chest as he felt himself tense up and he began to feel a bit dizzy from lack of breath.

"…I don't hear anything, Lukas."

"Hm, must have been Hanatamago then."

Like that, their conversation switched topic.

Emil quietly exited the living space, edging along the wall as before, and not taking a breath of relief until he reached the stairwell and climbed it silently.

So, they hadn't forgotten. He had been wondering why they hadn't questioned him about it the past two days. Now he saw why.

Well, if this was all just a game, a mystery, to them….

Then another player had joined the game. He wasn't going to let his guard down after this, no, if anything he'd be listening in at all times and watching them when they thought they were alone.

He'd make them have the feeling of him staring at you when he wasn't looking at you at all.

No one was going to find out about his photography.

He entered his room silently and stood in the doorway, facing the same window which had woken him up that morning, except now he was grateful for the rude rays of the sun for waking him up and forcing him out of his daze.

He gave a glance at his closet before glancing over his shoulder and to the stairwell.

He would not lost this 'game', his sanity and security of self and mind depended on it.

His world-no. His _**universe**_ depended on it. His existence, his reality.

He'd win this little game of cat and mouse, there was no room for error.

He turned to face into his quiet and still room once more, light amethyst eyes glowing with a determination he had never felt at such a colossal level and a protectiveness he had never known the likes of, he even felt a tone of hate under lying the thunderstorm of emotion in his eyes. Was this what insanity felt like...? No time to wonder now, he had something to do.

"Congratulations boys, you're playing in the big leagues now."

With that, he shut the door behind him and went to his desk to plot out his course of action.


End file.
